Monday, May 15, 2017

What's Your Style?

I know one of the most popular styles right now in home decor is farmhouse. We have quite a few customers who decorate their homes in this very inviting style. We sell many items in our store that support the farmhouse look. What goes with farmhouse decor? Galvanized, signs, mason jars, cowhide rugs, lanterns, pip berry wreath, cotton stalks, cotton wreaths, wooden totes, and enamel ware are just a few things that come to mind when the word "farmhouse" is used.
The HGTV show Fixer Upper has undoubtedly sky rocketed this look over the past couple of years. Joanna Gaines has a wonderful eye for decorating and creating beautiful rooms in the homes that her husband Chip remodels. It's a great show full of ideas and inspiration!
Do you like the BoHo style? This style is full of bright colors such as turquoise, fuchsia, green, peacock blue, orange, yellow, along with a mixture of metallic's. 
Debi's Design Diary makes a great chalk and clay paint that we carry in our store and it has some of the most gorgeous colors. Whether you're looking for bright colors or neutral farmhouse hues this paint line has them all. You can order those online here.
One of my favorite styles in home decor is French Country. Decorating with toile, buffalo checks,florals, stripes, french furniture, farm tables, linen, lace, and cane back chairs.
As far as paint colors soft blues, whites, greens, grays, and beige's make this style a sophisticated yet homey decor. We have a wonderful magazine that you can subscribe to or pick up a copy each month. It has pages of inspiration for the french look that is mouth watering to say the least!
For this look I like using the Color's of Sweden paint line and Paint Couture paints. There are many beautiful paint colors to choose and glazes to make your furniture look very upscale and nice. 
If you search French Country in Pinterest you will find many ideas to accomplish this home decor look. 
We are adding home decor every day to Fresh along with all of our DIY supplies. 
No matter what your decor style we are there to help you with it. Stop in everyday except Tuesday's and Sunday's. 
We are open from 9-5. 
In closing, Fresh is now offering a Bridal Registry for engaged couples. Stop in to make your gift selections. 
Have a wonderful week!



   

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

DIY Painted Clay Pots for Spring

Spring time is such a beautiful time of the year! Everything is blooming, the trees are putting on green foliage, and I'm enticed to plant a few clay pots with some of my favorite spring bedding plants. Dusty Miller, Impatiens, Marigolds, Begonias, and Pansies, just to mention a few of the ones I bought. 

For these clay pots I used DIY paints and Artisan Enhancements products. Both companies have all natural products and they are very easy to use.
I purchased my clay pots and my plants at the local Lowe's. They have a good selection of pots to choose from. 




Here is the supplies you will need to make one of these pots:

Clay Pots
DIY Chalk and Clay Paint (Old '57) and (White Swan) and (Gravel Road)
Crackle Tex by Artisan Enhancements
Scumble by Artisan Enhancements
Clear Top Coat Sealer
Leaf and Foil Size by Artisan Enhancements
Foil by Artisan Enhancements
Sea Sponge 

  • Paint the clay pot with the Clear Top Coat Sealer and let dry. This product is a great sealer and is all natural. 
  • Paint one coat of DIY Old '57 for a base coat and let dry.
  • Next stipple Crackle Tex to different areas of the pot. Crackle Tex is a medium that will react with paint after it has dried. For this pot I will be painting White Swan on top of the Crackle Tex. Apply the White Swan thickly on the Crackle Tex and you will see the beautiful crackle unfold. Do not overwork!
  • After the coat of White Swan has dried, apply Leaf and Foil Size to different areas of the clay pot. Let it dry for about 45 minutes until tacky. With the shiny side up take the foil and lay it on the tacky Leaf and Foil. I take a stiff bristle brush to rub the foil. This will help adhere the foil to the pot.
  • Next apply one coat of Clear Top Coat Finish.
  • Let the Clear Top Sealer Dry. Mix Gravel Road DIY paint with the Scumble. I used 1 part paint to 4 parts Scumble.
  • Apply the Gravel Road mixture with a sea sponge. Use a twist and turn movement when applying this step. Let dry.
  • Apply two coats of the Clear Top Coat Sealer. This sealer is exterior grade and will protect your pots.
  • And you are now finished with your DIY pot. Add potting soil and plant away!
I hope you enjoy your clay pots as much as I do. I made several last year and they are still very pretty. Use your imagination and create and please let me know how they turn out!
We sell all products used for this project at Fresh in Jasper, Texas. We are open everyday from 9-5 with the exception of Sundays and Tuesdays. We also sell these products online here. Please email or call us if you need any information on our product lines and we are always happy to help you. We ship weekly and stay fully stocked on all of our supplies. Have a wonderful week - Nancy